Franklin Barbecue isn’t your old Texas barbecue joint run by weathered Texans and frequented by tourists from North Carolina. Instead, its owner is the eminently hip Aaron Franklin, a horn rim-spectacled man with sideburns that give him the laid-back cool of Jermaine from Flight of the Conchords. As a reviewer for Austin360.com put it, Franklin Barbecue may be “the epicenter of the New Barbecue Nerd Movement.” That means taking the youthful vitality of the coffee-shop explosion, putting it in a food stand, and marinating it in Austin, Texas character. But don’t think that Franklin Barbecue has sacrificed flavor for cool. Its smoky, succulent brisket — and pork ribs that slide off the bone — have snagged more than a few regulars from other famed establishments.
Franklin Barbecue
900 E. 11th Street
Austin, TX 78702
(512) 603-1187